


What I was looking for

by sadie2504 (orphan_account)



Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, X-Men RPF, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Falling In Love, Love, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Sexual Content, Slash, Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:17:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sadie2504
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael wishes to fulfill his dream career and improve his personal life, so he decides to leave everything and move to India. There, he meets a beautiful bright-eyed man that turns everything else into secondary priorities.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Here's the first chapter of this story I've got in mind, let me know what you think :) hope you enjoy it!
> 
> *I own nothing about these two, obviously. I just love them to death, haha.

It was definite, there was no other option: he had lo leave. It had all slowly become so dull in the past two years – three, maybe four? - He had started feeling the inevitable heaviness of age creeping in and life leaving him behind with each passing day, and he was sure he shouldn’t feel like that at his 30 years of age. He was supposed to feel young, to feel alive. That’s why he needed to leave his office job, his rented flat, all those empty dates as soon as possible. He was sure the only person he’d miss would be his closest friend, January, but their friendship would last all their lives even if he went away for a thousand years, so he wasn’t worrying about that.

 

Michael had saved a lot of money since, to be honest, he did have a good job, but was certainly unhappy with it since what he really wanted to do was photography, so he decided it was time to do something about it and use what he had saved to save himself and re-arrange his life; he felt a rush of panic whenever he thought about growing old with his actual job, not noticing the years passing by and seeing his dream as a far away fantasy that never came true, so he thought about a place. He usually thought and fantasized about places, but in his heart he had always loved the idea of India; he loved the bright colors, the relationship Indians kept with nature and their spiritual philosophies. He was also very physical and athletic, and had been interested in learning yoga for a few years too, but had never attended more than a couple classes in the gym, and he was sure they had nothing to do with the actual thing. 

 

In the middle of a May night, he was unable to sleep as he thought what he needed in that moment, what he imagined would be a perfect life for him; he trembled lightly as the decisions were being made in his mind, and he smiled for himself in excitement, wanting it to be the morning already so he could go to the office and quit, then come back home and buy a flight to that magic, mystical place, and leave as soon as possible, not knowing when he’d come back. The sole idea of it made him feel like he was already better, it helped him breath deeper, his mind felt clearer. 

 

Next morning finally came and it took longer that what he wished for him to quit and explain to his boss what was happening and arrange everything for his renounce. His boss had tried to convince him to stay in various ways but realized it was a lost battle since he had never seen Michael so sure of anything before, and all was left to do was to wish him good luck. When he came back home, he made a big cup of coffee for himself and dove in the internet looking for a suitable place to stay in India, made his arrangements in just one day and in less than a week, he was in the airport saying goodbye to Jan. He caressed her blonde hair caringly as they hugged tightly, and listened to her as she told him in her older sister kind of way to take care, to not eat anything that looked too weird, to wear condoms and write to her a lot. He laughed and agreed with a couple of those things, and kissed her cheek with a smile; “I’ll wear condoms and write, I promise”, he said, and received a little playful punch from her, “take care, too”, she said bossily and he nodded with a roll of his eyes. They hugged again and he left hurriedly as he heard a call for his flight.

 

He could almost physically feel how his soul was getting lighter as the airplane was getting higher and higher, and the clouds underneath them along with the first rays of that bright early sun they rarely saw down in London felt like a warm cleanse, like beautiful strings of hope. His eyes watered a little, he was proud of himself, he was finally starting to feel like a young thirty-year-old, with all his life in front of him, with all the possibilities in a tray for him to choose, and he could be happy. He took his camera out and took the first photo of his adventure, a picture of that beautiful sky.

 

Once he arrived after what felt like five minutes of sleeping, he could barely calm down his excitement and had to take a moment to breathe and wash his face, then asked for instructions and took his way to Goa, a coast state in the west of India. He had chosen that place mostly by faith, since everywhere in India seemed perfect on what he read, but he had let his inner self choose and had trusted his own choice. He took a bus, carrying only with his big backpack and his camera, smiling at everyone who crossed his vision. He arrived at night in Panaji, Goa’s capital city, and looked for his hotel, a little place that seemed perfect for him to stay a few days before deciding on one of the two flats he had found online but wanted to see live first. The hotel looked like a big, old house and it was surrounded by so many trees and exotic plants that Michael felt like he was in the middle of the jungle as soon as he walked along the short path that lead to the entrance, everything lightened with beautiful ambience warm lights. He smiled excitedly and knocked at the door before opening it and was greeted by a young Indian woman who looked at him with big eyes and a blush as he confirmed his room reservation; he smiled softly as he remembered he was an exotic looking man in this country so he was going to have to get used to the stares, although he had read that Goa had a lot of European immigrants and families since it used to be Portuguese province.

 

He thanked the blushing girl and left to his room, changing into a clean shirt since he had been sweating like crazy in this humid, warm climate, and went out to look for something to eat. He walked for about half an hour just looking at everything and wishing it was the next day already so he could see around in proper daylight, but was incredibly excited by the life of the city at night, the people and the delicious smell of every type of food that was sold in the street. He smiled as he remembered Jan telling him to not eat anything suspicious and how it was the first thing he did, asking for a plate of something that smelled and looked too good not to be eaten; he couldn’t really catch its name because the woman who prepared and sold it didn’t speak too much English and he definitely didn’t speak any type of Indian language, but he surely wished to learn. He conformed on eating that night though, and thought he’d worry about languages and food names later.

 

That night he slept profoundly, because even as excited as he was, he felt like all the growing heaviness from the last months had been left behind already, far away, back in the gray city of London, and he felt calm for the first time in what felt like ages.


	2. Chapter 2

For a photographer, India was paradise. Nothing he’d ever seen before compared to the colors and life he saw as he walked from his hotel to the market, the first place he wanted to see. He was used to tall buildings, grey offices, glass and rain; he had traveled a lot before, he knew and had seen beautiful places, but this time it was different, since India was now his home, even if he’d been there less than twelve hours; he knew it in his heart, so everything he saw, amazed him. He arrived at the market and stood for a few seconds deciding where to go, and opted for a hallway that looked like it was mostly of species. He struggled with himself since he wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything, but also wanted to enjoy by just watching, so he managed to balance both things and took a long walk, asked for the names of things, touched and smelled species and fruits he’d never seen before, and a kind, smiling woman gave him a fig for him to try, then he bought half a dozen for a snack since he’d never had figs so sweet before. 

 

As he kept walking along a sea of dark brown eyes, a fig on his hand and a smile on his lips, he stopped abruptly as a flash of the bluest blue caught his breath. Under the sun, a little Indian girl was wrapping a bright orange scarf on a man’s head playfully, leaving only his eyes visible. They both laughed as she finished and she placed a kiss on his covered forehead, then left running with other kids. Michael stood there, unable to move, as he felt hypnotized by those eyes that looked so incredibly mysterious and beautiful surrounded by a simple orange wrap. It only lasted a few seconds since this man unwrapped his face out of the scarf as he stood up with a smile, and the beauty of the rest of him made him gasp in his place, conscious he was staring but there was nothing else he could really do.

 

On the past few days he had thought he’d probably find a dark, exotic, Indian man –whom he had always found very attractive- and fall madly in love with him when he was ready, but it hadn’t been his priority at all when he decided on coming to India. This man wasn’t Indian, but he _was_ exotic, curiously so, with gorgeous freckled skin that looked almost golden by what were evidently years of living under that sun, with dark golden hair and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He was so mesmerizingly beautiful that he looked otherworldly, and Michael fell in love right then, even if he had never really believed in love at first sight. He watched his delicate hands as he pulled at the scarf and left it on his neck, then started walking in his direction; he immediately looked back at Michael, who noticed a soft gasp coming from him and a sparkle in his eyes, and felt his own body trembling softly when their looks crossed, as if they had shared an electric shock that didn’t let them stop looking at each other, and then he smiled gently at Michael, a bit flirtatious, just the perfect amount to leave him dizzy in his place. He disappeared in the crowd, and Michael knew those few seconds had changed him, and that he needed to find this man.

 

But first, he needed to find a home. He took a deep breath and made a little prayer to his insides, “please, let me find him again” he thought, and leaving it to destiny, walked for about an hour more and then went to visit those flats he had seen online. The first one was beautiful, but was a place that he wasn’t sure it was what he wanted, since it was in the most modern part of the city. It was well located, but he wanted to be a bit closer to nature other than buildings; he walked around that area though, and it was certainly an interesting place. He took a bus back to his hotel since the other place was very near it, and used the opportunity to take another shower; his body had to get used to the heat or he was going to dehydrate himself out with sweating so much. Once he was clean and fresh again, he ate in the hotel’s restaurant as he enjoyed the terrace and the sounds of nature around him, and let himself remember the little encounter of the morning with a sigh and a smile, then headed to the other place he had in mind. 

 

“Good evening?” he said as he knocked on the slightly open door of the place the address marked. It was a big, old house with a flat on top, and that was the one they were offering; he knew a European family owned it since he had talked to the owner by e-mail. He had found it nice that there were other people they rented the house to living in the same place but he could have his privacy, and once he saw the area it was in, he thought the pictures online didn’t make it any justice; the place was a dream. He was greeted by a man in a turban with a bright smile; “Hello –he said- I’m here to ask about the floor you’re renting, I’m Michael Fassbender, I talked to Mrs. McAvoy by e-mail”, he said a bit slowly since he wasn’t sure the man would understand him, but he answered in perfect English, “oh, please come in, let me show you around”, and Michael felt a bit silly. The man showed him the gardens and surroundings chattily, telling him how the McAvoys didn’t live there but had owned the house and the land for a long time, and how they lived near there with their grandson and granddaughter, “who should be around your age, you should meet”, he had said. He had also mentioned their grandson had arrived around an hour ago and should be around there somewhere. “Last but not least –said the man- your place is right above this staircase, feel free to go see it, and you’ll forgive me if I don’t come with you but my hip’s been hurting for a couple of weeks now” he said merrily, and Michael just nodded and smiled brightly at him, “please, don’t worry, I’ll go see around by myself and be right back”, he answered politely, and the man just nodded and left, disappearing through the garden.

 

Michael took the outdoor stairs that lead to what would be his flat and really hoped for everything to be as great as the rest of the house and gardens, he was already picturing himself living there. Once he turned right to finish walking up the slightly crooked stairs, he gasped in surprise and stood in his place with big eyes, feeling his soul going to his feet: it was him, the man from the market was there, in his future terrace. He wanted to speak but the image before him was so magical that he let himself stand there and take a mental picture of it since he didn’t bring his camera, wishing he could draw so he could translate it into something everybody else could see. The door-sized windows held long bright yellow drapes that were flying around, the wind lifting them easily and surrounding this man’s figure marvelously, looking like those images in the movies when someone dreams or fantasizes of their loved ones; a beautiful, glowing person with teasing, flowing veils framing him, making him look like an absolute dream. He was looking at the mountains, offering Michael his profile, unaware someone had arrived. - Was everything magical in India? –thought Michael distantly. 

 

“Hello”, he spoke softly, hating himself for interrupting that moment; the other man gasped and turned to him instantly, and opened his eyes in surprise, his mouth dropping a bit in confusion, but then his whole expression turned into a soft smile, as if he had understood something. “Who _are_ you?” asked Michael more to himself than to him, with a little chuckle and a sigh, starting to think he was just imagining this person. “I’m James”, he said softly, and Michael took the last few steps and got closer to shake his hand, “Michael”, he said nervously, then felt all the worries fade away when he received a bright smile from James. “A- are you here to see the flat?” asked James after a few seconds, with a little blush after he realized they had held their handshake longer than necessary and had stared deeply into each other’s eyes, again not being able not to. 

 

“Yes, I’m… I think I’m moving in”, he answered, assuming James was the McAvoy grandson. “I see, I’m sorry, I didn’t know someone was coming today – he said with a little blush – I just really like this balcony, it has the best view” he said, looking again at the mountains, and Michael found it hard to stop looking at him and look at the view, but once he did, he agreed with James. “It really is gorgeous” he said after a moment, and James smiled. “My grandparents own the house”, he said, and Michael nodded, “yes, I’ve been talking to your grandmother, I believe”, and James laughed, “you’re Michael Fassbender? –Michael nodded in confusion – well, okay, I’m Mrs. McAvoy. I mean, that’s my grandmother, but I’m the one who answers her clients’ e-mails. It’s very nice to meet you in person”, he said with a flirtatious smile, and Michael had to fight the urge to remove that glorious strand of his longish hair away from his cheek. 

 

He chuckled as he thought of destiny’s weird ways, too. “That is… a pleasant coincidence. And it’s very nice to meet you in person, too, Mrs. McAvoy”, he said teasingly with a little wink, and James chuckled and bit his lip. “Do you want me to show you around?” he asked, gesturing at the flat right next to them which Michael had seemed to completely forgotten. “Oh, yes, that would be great, thanks”, answered Michael coming out of his trance, and followed a smiling James. It turned out that the place was perfect, and Michael couldn’t really believe his luck; as James was saying something about how the view in the sunrise was something he shouldn’t miss even one day –James had lived in that flat for a few months before- Michael smiled and thought how he was seeming to get everything he was asking for and in a very short notice –“thank you”- he thought, sending a little impish look and smile up above. 

 

James was the most gorgeous thing Michael had ever seen, and his voice transported him somewhere else; he wished to kiss him right there, to touch that beautiful skin and run his hands along his hair. It only took him two minutes to already venerate everything he said, the kind and optimistic words his red lips pronounced, his perfect height and gorgeous body, the vintage style he dressed in and cut his hair. 

 

“You were at the market today”, said Michael out of nowhere, but he couldn’t not say so, it was right there and it would be silly not to acknowledge it. It didn’t really mean anything, but it meant a lot at the same time, what he said, and James seemed to have understood the meaning of it, and smiled beautifully at him, “I saw you, too”, he said gently, and Michael returned the peaceful smile, then they continued talking about a little leak that had to be fixed. “So, are you staying?” asked James looking at him brightly, and Michael decided that, if he was going to do this, he’d do it properly and using all of his charms. “Well, it depends –he answered with a little squint of his eyes- does it come with the man on the terrace?” he asked nonchalantly with a playful smile and raise of his eyebrow, and saw James blush tremendously; “I – uh” he managed to mumble and was interrupted by Michael, who said with a reassuring smile, “it’s perfect, I’ll stay”. James smiled and bit his lip, speaking a soft “good”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I keep picturing James as he looked in The Last King of Scotland in this story, haha. I'll just flow with that.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thank you for reading <3


	3. Chapter 3

That same Saturday afternoon, James took Michael to meet his grandmother so they could arrange Michael’s decision on renting the floor. The house was very near so they had to walk just a few blocks as Michael told James why he was in India, and he adored how James’ attention made him feel like he was saying the most interesting thing in the world. “Right here”, said James as they arrived to a terracotta colored house with an antique door; he knocked and opened with his keys and gestured Michael to follow him, “this is my house - your house”, he turned to look at him politely as he said that, and Michael chuckled, “thank you”, he answered with a little smile that was returned by James. “Gran? Are you home?” he asked a bit loudly as they entered the living room, “yes, sweetheart!” was heard from another room; James asked Michael to wait a second and went to get her. 

In those couple of minutes that he waited for James and his grandmother, he grinned and shook his heath in disbelief as he settled down to actually realize how odd everything was, in the best of ways, of course, but it still amazed him how things were going so well and it was just his first day there. “Hello, Michael, what a pleasure to have you here!” was the first thing James’ grandmother said as she entered the room, a big smile on her face and getting close to shake hands with him; he quickly stood up and shook her hand, “the pleasure’s mine, Mrs. McAvoy”, he said, and for a second he felt as if he was meeting his boyfriend’s mom. Yeah, he wished. 

James smiled from the back, “I was telling Gran how you found me in the balcony and I showed you the flat” he said, and Michael smiled at how adorable he was. His grandmother rolled her eyes playfully, “if you decide to rent it, darling, you won’t find him hanging around your house, I can promise that”, she said, and James bit his lip with a little smile; Michael chuckled as he thought he definitely wouldn’t mind that, but he wasn’t going to say so, so he just said, “don’t worry, it was a nice surprise”. She smiled in a way that Michael suspected was a bit too knowingly so he added quickly to change the subject, “I loved the place, Mrs. McAvoy, what proceeds so I can rent it?”. She nodded and gestured him to sit down, then sat on the couch in front of him; Michael eyed James for a second, who asked if he could get them something to drink. “Well, just water. Thank you, James”, he said, and Mrs. McAvoy asked for water too; James nodded and left the room with a perky step. 

It took only a couple of minutes for Mrs. McAvoy to ask what she needed to know before granting him the room in the other house, then when James came back they were talking about his life back in London and how he had decided to come to India. The three of them talked for a bit, and she told him how she and her husband had come from Scotland to India with their grandsons about 20 years ago, and how they had lived in the other house before, changed into the new one and had been renting the first one for about 10 years now. Mrs. McAvoy was a delight, and they both made Michael feel incredibly comfortable, something he noticed James had managed to do since the moment they had met: he made him feel like home, for some reason.

“So, when are you planning on moving in, sweetheart?” asked Mrs. McAvoy, and Michael hadn’t really thought about that. “Uh… well, it could be on Monday, or tomorrow if that’s not a problem”, he answered; “tomorrow’s great, please give me a call before you leave the hotel, okay?” she said as she handed him her card. Michael nodded, “I will. Thank you, really, the place is lovely”, he said, and she answered with a sweet smile, “you’re welcome, and we always want our guests to feel like home, you can call us whenever you want or need, and if you ever want to come visit, this is your house, too”. Michael smiled gratefully at her and then looked at James, who smiled softly at him. “Well, I have a meeting in about an hour and I want to walk there, so I’m going to leave you kids but make yourself at home –said Mrs. McAvoy as she stood up, and both James and Michael stood up too to say goodbye to her - Michael, it’s been a pleasure, and I’ll be waiting for your call tomorrow, okay?” Michael nodded and shook her hand with a smile, then she kissed James’ cheek, “bye, Gran”, he said, and she left the room with a wave of her hand.

They looked at each other and smiled a bit bashfully; “your grandmother’s the best”, said Michael with a little chuckle, and James nodded, “I know. I love her to death –he said with a smile – and, you know? By renting that room you’re also gaining a new grandmother yourself”, he added with a chuckle. Michael laughed, “well, if you had put that in your sign I wouldn’t even had thought about renting other place”, he said, and James rose an eyebrow playfully, “oh, you had other place in mind?” Michael nodded, “yeah, I saw it this morning after I went to the market”. James squinted at him playfully, “I see. What made you choose ours?” he asked with a little bit of a teasing tone, and Michael smiled. This man was too conscious of his own charms. “Well, it’s all great, you know? The view, the location, the gardens… you – I mean – your family” he said with a blush at the end, he didn’t mean it to sound like that but he guessed his subconscious was betraying him, and James hid his little smile with a bite of his lip. “I see. Yeah, the view’s great”, he said, then smiled fully at him as he rocked his body a little. 

Michael really couldn’t stop looking at him; he wanted to ask him out but he thought it’d be too soon and didn’t want to be intrusive, so he took a deep breath before saying he should get going; right before saying so, James looked at his clock and rose his eyebrows, “oh, I… I have to go –he said with a little frown- I have an appointment in 15 minutes”. Michael nodded, “yes, of course. What’s your appointment about? – he asked- I mean, if it’s not indiscreet”, he added with a little blush. James smiled and shook his head, “not at all, don’t worry. It’s an appointment with a client, I’m a physiotherapist – he said as they started walking towards the door - and a masseuse”, he added with a smile. 

Michael rose his eyebrows, “that’s so great!” he said a bit excitedly “I’ve always been very fond of physiotherapists because of my rugby days back in school”, he added, and James laughed, “why, thank you. We’re very fond of rugby players, too. They keep us working”, he said, and Michael laughed, too. “Also massages are very cool”, he said with a soft smile already stepping outside the door, thinking for himself how stupidly sexy he found it that it was his actual profession, as if he wasn’t too perfect already; James blushed a little, “thank you. You know –he hesitated for a moment- I give one free massage to our guests renting the house as a welcome gift” he said with an impish smile, and Michael chuckled, “oh, you do?” he asked with a little raise of his eyebrow. James’ smiled went a bit wider, “no, not really – they both laughed- But I could make an exception, maybe”. Michael smiled and bit his lip, “That’d… yes, consider it”, he said a bit flirtatiously, and James sniggered. “I do have to go” he said, giving a couple step backwards with a little smile on his face, “but I’ll see you very soon. It’s been great meeting you, Michael”, he added sweetly, and Michael nodded, smiling a little goofily, “thank you, James, it’s been a pleasure”. They both waved their hands and Michael stood in his place for a few seconds, watching James go in the opposite direction of his hotel, then started walking. It was just the afternoon so he walked around the place, passed in front of his future house and walked the surroundings, making a mental map for himself, and tried not to think too much about those blue eyes.

Next day, he woke up early again and used the morning to go visit a temple he had read about; the place was impressive and stunning, and he took beautiful photos of it and its details, also of the people who were there to pray. After about an hour there, he felt a bit of a need to say a little prayer himself so he used the opportunity to give thanks for his adventure, and asked for his heart to be open to read the signs, to do things well. 

He spent there all morning and after eating, he went back to the hotel to pick his things up and change into his new flat; he called Mrs. McAvoy from the hotel as she had asked him to, and after a couple of rings, someone picked up the phone. “Hello?” he heard her say, “hello, Mrs. McAvoy, it’s Michael”, he said, and she answered quickly, “Oh, hello Michael darling. How are you?”; Michael chuckled, “I’m very good, thank you. How are you?” he asked, and he heard a bit of ruffling on the other side, then she chuckled, “I’m very good, too. Are you coming to the flat already?” she asked. Michael nodded even if she couldn’t see him, “yeah, I was wondering if it’s a good time for me to go and settle”, he said. “Yes, yes, it’s perfect. James will be there in a few minutes to help you out”, she said, and Michael blushed, “oh, don’t worry please, it’s not necessary, I just have one backpack and my camera”, he said, not wanting to disturb him but God, did he want to see him again. “Nonsense. Wait up for him, okay?” she said in a way that reminded him of his mother, so he knew he shouldn’t argue, “okay, Mrs. McAvoy, thank you very much, and tell James I say thanks”, he said with a little chuckle. “Don’t worry darling, see you later!” she said, and Michael smiled for himself as he heard her hang up the phone.

He took his shirt off and changed into a clean, white one and washed his face again. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he thought he’d be seeing James again in a few minutes, then looked in the mirror again and groomed his slight beard and short hair; not that there was much to groom but he was nervous. He checked out from the hotel and waited for him in the entrance, and after a couple minutes he saw a little blue Vespa coming down the street in his direction; he smiled as he remembered the one he owned when he was in University, then squinted and realized it was James in the Vespa, and his smile grew wider; he wanted to marry this man already. “Well, hello there”, said Michael with a little chuckle as James parked in front of him, and James blushed as he laughed, “well, we thought you might need a ride. How are you?” he asked getting closer to him. “I’m great, and you?”, he asked with a tiny touch to his forearm; James smiled softly, “I’m great, too”. “I’m glad –said Michael with a big smile now, and then turned to look at the bike- I love your Vespa, I used to have one a few years ago” he said, caressing the handle with a melancholic grin, “you did? They’re awesome –said James excitedly- do you wanna drive it?” he added, and Michael’s eyes grew bigger, “really?”, he asked, and James chuckled tenderly.

“Of course. I’ll carry your backpack and you can carry the camera case on your lap”, he said, already taking Michael’s backpack; “well, it is a bit heavy”, said Michael a bit worriedly, he didn’t want James to make any effort, and helped him pick it up. James laughed, “I’m stronger than I look, don’t worry –he said with a gentle smile – but thanks for worrying”, he added. “Okay, sorry. And you’re welcome”, he answered teasingly, causing James to laugh; “are you ready? You hop on first and I’ll go on the back”, said James, handing him the keys. Michael was exceedingly happy, the whole situation excited him and he wasn’t sure if it was more because of riding the bike or because of having an excuse to have James sitting so close to him, which was happening in that exact moment. He felt James hesitate about where to place his arms, then surrounded Michael’s torso softly; “you okay back there?” he asked, and James spoke near his neck, “yes, It’s perfect”, his tone a bit lower. Michael swallowed and nodded, “let’s go, then”. The excitement was definitely about James.

They rode for what felt like just a minute, and arrived at Michael’s new home. “I wish it was further away”, he said with a soft laugh as he parked, and James chuckled too, “I know. Don’t worry, you can leave your things and then we’ll have a longer ride”, he said, the soft breath on his neck giving Michael a delicious feeling all throughout his spine. He smiled and nodded, “that would be amazing” he said, then jumped down and helped James to get down too, immediately taking the backpack from him. “Thank you”, said James a bit bashfully and Michael noticed a bit of a stare at his arms and torso as he put the backpack on. “No, thank you”, he said with a charming smile.

They entered the house with James’ key, as he explained to Michael that Rajul, the housekeeper, didn’t work on Sunday. The couple that lived in the house downstairs weren’t there, either. “Oh”, said Michael when they entered his flat and saw things were changed, there were sheets on the bed, a few lamps that weren’t there before, and it was all swept and shiny. “It looks great”, he said, looking around, and heard James chuckle, “yeah, it does. Gran told Rajul you’d be moving in today so I guess he must have arranged things last night”, he said, and Michael made a mental note on thanking him for doing so in such a short notice, he had thought he was going to do it himself that afternoon. “There’s bowls and plates and all those kinds of things already, so you don’t need to buy those”, said James as he watched Michael looking around; “that’s great”, he said from the bathroom, “God, there’s even a new soap in here”, he added with a little chuckle, feeling like he was the guest in a hotel more than he was renting a flat. He heard James laugh softly, “I told you you were getting a brand new grandmother, too”, he said jokingly. Michael stepped out the bathroom with a big smile, “I’m so lucky I found you and your family, you’re all so great”, he said, and he meant it from the heart. James smiled at him heartily, and with a little shrug he said, “India has always treated us like home. I guess we want the rest of the people to feel like that, too”. Michael nodded and smiled softly; “well, you do”.

They looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, a thing Michael realized they had done a couple times already without really noticing, but there was this intense chemistry and energy between them that he didn’t really know what to do with other than share it through longing stares; he looked down, “I, uhm… I need to go buy some food, I think”, he said, and James nodded quickly, “yes, of course. You can take the bike, if you want”, he said a bit nervously, causing Michael to smile tenderly at him; “you could come with me, if you don’t have other plans”, he said, and James smiled back with a soft and blushed “okay”. “You know –started Michael- actually I’d… maybe we could have a cup of coffee first? Or tea or whatever you want”, he said as he felt a bright blush coming to his cheeks, and he had forgotten how that felt. He was very nervous, but he craved James’ company and wanted to let him know that he wasn’t just interested in his help, he was interested in him. James’ eyes went a bit bigger, making him look adorable, then smiled impishly and said, “I’d love to” with a soft voice that acted as a soothing technique impeccably on Michael’s nerves. Michael smiled, “you’ll have to choose the place, though, since I don’t know any place in here”, he said with a soft laugh, and James smiled brightly, “don’t worry, I know the perfect one”.


	4. Chapter 4

They entered in a tea and coffee place where James greeted the girl in the entrance in her language, and Michael nodded at her with a smile. They walked in an open terrace with a few wooden tables; the sun was already lowering and there were Christmas lights all over the place, making it look very comfy and dreamlike. There were also some warm colored fabrics hanging from tree to tree, it smelled of incense and there was Zither music playing in the background. “This is one of my favorite places”, said James as Michael looked around him with big eyes, his senses trying to absorb everything. “It’s beautiful”, he said turning to look at James, who smiled proudly and directed them both at what seemed was the table he usually sat on. 

 

“What do you feel like drinking?” asked James, obviously excited about showing him a bit of his own India; “I’m not sure, I’d usually drink coffee at this time”, he said, and James commented quickly, “oh, you drink coffee at tea time? Are you a radical, or what?” he asked jokingly, and Michael laughed, “you respect tea time after so many years?” he asked with a little raise of his eyebrows. James chuckled, “my grandparents do. I lived in Scotland just for six years so I know the traditions mostly because of them”, he said with a little shrug. Michael nodded, “I see. Well, yes, I usually drink coffee at tea time, but I do want to try something different here, so I’ll just ask for what you think is the best they have”. James squinted thoughtfully with a little smile, “that’s a big responsibility, but I’ll take it“, he said teasingly. Michael chuckled, “thank you, I trust in your decision. So you lived 6 years in Scotland and you’ve been here for 20?” asked Michael, who was a little relieved when he did the math because James looked actually younger than that; “yes, and yes, I’m 26 –answered James with a little nod of his head- I just turned 26, actually, in April”. Michael raised his eyebrows, “oh, I turned 30 this April, too”.

 

James was about to say something but was interrupted by a young girl who came to their table with a couple of menus, “hello James”, she said with a little smile, then turned to look at Michael and smiled at him too. “Oh, hello Anya, how are you? –said James merrily- Anya, this is Michael, Michael, this is Anya” he added turning to each of them, and they shook hands with bright smiles, “you know what, darling, don’t leave the menus, we know what we want already”, said James when Anya placed the menus on the table, “oh, okay”, she answered with a thick Indian accent; “it’s gonna be a Chai and a Peppermint tea, and coconut biscuits, please”, he said looking at her, and Michael wondered how she didn’t melt right in her place; “you want milk for the Chai?”, she asked, and James smiled at her knowingly, “yes, please”, he answered, and she nodded happily and went away. James chuckled, “I come here too often for her to not know by heart that I always ask for milk on my Chai”, he said with a soft laugh, and Michael chuckled too, “she looks very sweet”, he said, and James nodded, “yes, she’s very sweet, actually, we’ve all loved her since day one” he said with a smile. 

 

“So you know the place since it opened?” asked Michael. “Yeah, the owner has been my yoga teacher for years, and when he changed his studio location to this one –he pointed at the little building where the kitchen was- which is on the second floor right there, he decided to open a café too, since the space was perfect for it… this was about five years ago”, he said, and Michael raised his eyebrows excitedly, “you practice yoga? That’s so cool, I actually wanted to ask you if you knew a place, I’m very interested on learning”, he said, and James smiled brightly, “really? That’s great! I know a lot of places, but this one’s the best –he said with a little chuckle- you can come with me to class next week, if you want”, he added with a little coquettish smile. Michael smiled back, “thank you, I’d love that. Although if you’ve been practicing it for more than five years, I’m pretty sure we won’t be on the same class or level”, he said, and James shook his head, “don’t worry, some classes are multi-level and some are for beginners or advanced levels, so we can come together to a couple classes and if you like it you can stay at the beginners class. Actually I teach that class sometimes”, he said, and Michael felt his lower stomach jolt at picturing James in all those intricate yoga positions; “you do? Then you must be very good”, he said with a lower tone that wasn’t too intentional. “I don’t know – said James with a little blush- I’ve been practicing it for 10 years and my teacher trusts me, I guess”. Michael nodded, “also your career must help”, he said, and James smiled, “yes, I think so too. It helps me understand the body’s healing ways in a more complete way”. 

 

Michael smiled and sighed a little; he admired James already even if he didn’t know too much about him yet, but he found him interesting and noble, and way too charming. Anya came in that moment and served the beverages and biscuits; “thank you, Anya”, said Michael, and James smiled at him beautifully, and so did she; “you’re welcome, enjoy” she said gleefully and retired with a little bow of her head. “So, which one’s yours?” asked Michael, looking at the two cups, “well, mine’s the Peppermint one, I want you to try the Chai –said James, adding milk to Michael’s cup and placing it in front of him, then added one sugar- here you go” he said, and Michael adored how he just took power of Michael’s tea as if they had known each other for years, without pretenses or worries. “Thank you, it smells great”, said Michael, and took a sip of it before a warm moan escaped from him, “God”, he said softly and closed his eyes a second. It was delicious; it didn’t taste like any Chai he had tasted back in England. “I know, right?” said James proudly, and started sipping on his own cup. They tried the biscuits, which were delightful, too, and Michael thought for a second of his life three days ago, back in his flat with dark coffee and dull biscuits. Okay, the dark coffee and the biscuits were all right, to be fair, but it didn’t compare to this experience, much less the company.

 

“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about you, mystery man. You’re from London, and you’re 30, and what else?”, he asked with bright eyes, and Michael chuckled; “well. I’m actually not from London, I’m from Ireland, but I lived in London for a long time –he said, then took another sip of his tea- I studied Business, mostly because of my dad who always dreamed of me as a businessman, and I didn’t have the heart to not do what he wanted when I decided on my BA… I was too young, I guess. Anyway, I worked in a big corporation for years… until I realized, or accepted, that it wasn’t what I wanted, at all”, James nodded sympathetically, and they shared a little smile. "I’ve always loved photography, I studied it too when I was younger and have taken courses and workshops, since it has always been my hobby, and I’ve finally decided that I want to pursue a career on photography instead of business”, he said, then took a biscuit and gave a bite, thoughtfully. James smiled brightly, “and now you’re here. I understand, and I think it’s great that you decided to do something about it, it requires a lot of bravery to change your career to pursue your dreams”, he said, and Michael felt his heart go a little warmer, “thank you, that’s very sweet. I don’t know if it was brave or silly but that’s what I did –he said with a little chuckle- and I decided on coming to India to breathe a different air, and take pictures for my portfolio, make it more solid. My biggest dream is to work for National Geographic”, he said, and James nodded, “that’s great, it’s a beautiful job –he paused for a moment and looked at his fingers- I… yeah, India is the perfect place for that”, he added, and Michael smiled, but noticed the slight change in James’ tone, but he didn’t understand the reason. 

 

“India seems like the perfect place for everything though, I’ve only been here for two days and I’m already in love”, he said with a small but charming smile, being intentionally ambiguous. James looked up at him with a slight raise of his eyebrow, sighed a little and smiled, “it makes me happy to hear that”, he said with a soft voice, and Michael could see a glimpse in his eyes, making them look bluer, gorgeous. They talked about different things during that afternoon, and it felt like they had known each other longer than two days; the conversation was easy and fun, they made each other laugh and threw a few flirtatious smiles or glimpses once in a while at each other. When they asked for the bill, James gestured on taking his wallet out and Michael placed his hand on top of James’ hand for a second, “please, allow me”, he said, and saw James blush and nod with a sweet smile, “thank you”, he said, to which Michael shook his head with a smile of his own, “it’s my pleasure”, he answered. 

 

After they left the café, they went to a small supermarket for Michael to buy the things he needed, and then they drove back to Michael’s house. During the ride, Michael realized how James was much more relaxed as he held Michael’s sides, and he even placed his chin on Michael’s shoulder blade for a second, with the excuse of telling him something, and it made Michael smile and his stomach rumble again, like more than once that evening.

 

“I had a great time, thank you so much, James”, said Michael as he offered his hand for James to come down the Vespa, which James accepted eagerly; “no, thank you”, he said a bit bashfully, standing right in front of Michael’s taller figure. He looked at James’ beautiful features and felt his mouth watering dangerously as James licked his lower lip innocently, or maybe not so innocently, he’d never know, but he looked gorgeous and way too kissable for his own good. The soft, warm air brushed against their skin and ruffled James’ hair, a strand staying on his cheek, and Michael removed it softly without realizing when he did, until his hand was there and James’ eyes went slightly bigger. He brushed his thumb against his cheek, and they both held their breath for a moment; “I’m sorry”, he said after a second and removed his hand with a bright blush, and James smiled sweetly, “no, don’t be”, he said, giving a reassuring stroke to Michael’s arm.

 

He’d never felt such a strong chemistry with someone so quickly, he felt vulnerable under this man’s look, as if those beautiful eyes could see right into his soul and accepted him just as he was, and Michael was willing to dive into those deep blue waters every second of every day. He wished to kiss James, and the way he was looking at him at that moment didn’t help at all; he could read James’ expression, and he _knew_ he wanted Michael to kiss him too, but Michael knew he should wait, so he would. “Can I have your number?” asked Michael in a soft voice, not fully wanting to interrupt the tranquility of their shared longing stare, but knowing he had to. And he really did want James’ number. “Yes, of course”, answered James like coming out of a trance, and took his wallet out to hand him his card, “here”, he said, taking Michael’s hand and opening it carefully, then placing the card on his palm, “don’t lose it”, he added with a little teasing smile, taking one tiny step closer and looking up at him, only making Michael realize how their height difference was so deliciously perfect he could die right there. He chuckled, “I’d lose the keys to the flat before losing your number”, he said, his full flirting mode on, and James’ flirtatious smile grew bigger. “I… don’t have a phone – he added when he remembered this little detail- but I’ll get one tomorrow, probably. I’ll let you know as soon as I do”, he said, and James chuckled, “please do”. 

 

Michael turned to look at the Vespa and sighed, “I should probably think about acquiring some way of transportation, too”, he said, and James nodded, “I know a guy who sells these babies. I’ll give you his contact when you call me”, he said with a playful smirk, “perfect, that way I can pick you up and drive you home next time”, said Michael. James nodded and smiled brightly, “sounds like a plan. Good night, foreigner”, he said, standing on his tiptoes and kissing Michael’s cheek, placing his hand on his arm. Michael gasped softly and felt his stomach throw a party and his skin tingle at the contact, “good night, rescuer”, he said softly, gaining a beautiful smile from James right before he got on the bike and they both waved at each other good-bye. Michael stood there watching him go and enjoying the warm breeze, then went inside the house, took the stairs and turned the lights of his flat, placing all the things he bought on the small table. It was a beautiful little home, and the whole situation made him feel a warmness in his heart that he couldn’t really put a name to, but it was the most refreshing feeling he had had for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter <3


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a long day; he knew he shouldn’t be waiting for a call, or a message, the guy didn’t even have a phone for crying out loud, but God, he was eagerly expecting any sign of Michael and every hour passed painfully slow with all that waiting.

 

It was a good day too, though; he kept recalling their conversations and a blushed smile crept on him every time he remembered how Michael had paid the check at the café, meaning it was kind of a date, didn’t it? He thought it did; and the way he had brushed his thumb on his cheek and blushed so sweetly afterwards. The day passed as he saw different patients, one of them was a rugby player and it only made James’ eagerness augment since it reminded him of what Michael had said about physiotherapists and him playing rugby at school… God, he could tell he exercised. He pictured Michael, with his strong, perfect body in those rugby shorts and a tight, sweaty shirt and he had to take a couple of deep breaths to avoid a very uncomfortable situation right there with his client.

 

He kept checking his cellphone, and he could almost hear his grandmother saying, “a watched pot never boils”, so he placed it far away from him and managed to forget about the whole thing during a couple of appointments. Mondays were always busy days, so it wasn’t too hard. At six in the afternoon, he realized it had been an hour and a half since he had checked his phone, and when he turned it on he froze for a moment as he saw a message from an unknown number:

 

\- Apparently, in India even getting a phone is an adventure. Hello there :)

 

James chuckled with relief and read the message a couple times before answering with a bright smile on his lips.

 

\- Haha! Yes, the adventure level here would surprise you. I’m glad you have a phone now! 

 

It took him too long to write it down since he kept erasing and adding things, then he realized he was being silly and just sent it like that, and received an answer quickly,

 

\- I’m glad too! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know so. I hope you’re having a great day, James :)

 

James bit his lip with a little smile,

 

\- Thank you! I actually had a client earlier who’s a rugby player, it reminded me of you… I hope you’re having a great day, too :) 

 

\- Haha, poor guy… but well, if I had had such a nice doctor when I played, I would have probably enjoyed getting injured, or I’d have done it on purpose. And my day’s been great, thank you! I love this city!

 

James chuckled and blushed brightly at Michael’s flirting, and took a couple of minutes to think what he should answer, since he wanted to flirt back, too.

 

\- I’m pretty sure if I had such nice patients, my professional code would be in serious danger. And I’m also pretty sure this city loves you back!

 

He sent it with a nervous little smile and a bit of a tremble in his hand, feeling ridiculous but he couldn’t manage not to feel like a teenager with a crush, and he was also being very honest… he couldn’t even imagine having Michael as a patient and not jumping him at some point. God, okay, there’s a fantasy right there. He jumped slightly as his cellphone buzzed and couldn’t open the text faster,

 

\- Haha, don’t put ideas in my head, James. When can I see you? It’s been too long, almost 20 hours.

 

James chuckled and smiled triumphantly, feeling his stomach rumble with excitement. They decided to go to the yoga class on Wednesday morning, and on Tuesday afternoon Michael called James just to have a little chat, which was James’ favorite part of the day. He told Michael what he should wear and take to the class next day, and he couldn’t really wait for it to be Wednesday to see him already; he knew they didn’t really know each other but there had been something about Michael since the moment they crossed looks a few days ago at the market. He could almost physically feel the energy between them, when they talked, when they touched –even if it had been just slight brushes of skin against skin- or just when they looked into each other’s eyes. It was big, he hadn’t felt that much attraction for someone for a long time, and it was a bit scary, to be honest. 

 

When Michael had told him about his reason to be in India, he knew it was probable that he would be there just a few months, and that’s what had bummed him out in the café, but he quickly decided he’d not worry about that at the moment and would just enjoy. Michael’s company was delightful, it for some reason made James feel safe and whole, and he was also so stupidly handsome it made him want to cry; he had never seen such a attractive man before, much less date one, but apart from how gorgeous and sexy he was, he could feel in his heart that it was bigger than that, than pure attraction, it was something else; he believed in destiny, reincarnation and soul mates, and thinking about it, he realized that it felt just like that, as if their souls had recognized each other after a long journey, so maybe that was it.

-o- 

Wednesday morning arrived and Michael woke up earlier than necessary because he was a little nervous, and excited, too; they were going to meet at Michael’s flat and then they’d leave together. Michael was already eager to get a bike for himself since he didn’t like the idea of not picking James up, since it was what he had always done with dates, even if this yoga class situation wasn’t a date, but he wanted to go pick up James at his house and take him to nice places and just spoil him; he knew he needed to learn to be more patient, and he had that thought with a little smirk as he drank his morning coffee and looked out the glass doors. That morning was slightly cloudy and he felt a little chill since the doors were open, and welcomed it grandly; he had been so hot all the time since he arrived, although he was already getting used to it, and liked it, even.

 

When James arrived, Michael was already downstairs waiting for him and he heard the Vespa coming from a couple blocks away. He smiled brightly at James when he parked and received an equally bright smile from him; “good morning!” said James cheerfully as he came down the bike and when Michael got close to him to say hello, James hugged him casually. “Good morning, James”, said Michael with a little chuckle as he hugged him back, noticing how they seemed to fit perfectly in each other’s arms and build, and their little hug lasted one second longer than what would be polite but they both had seemed to enjoy it, since he even heard James sigh a little. “Are you ready?” asked James as he pulled away from the hug, Michael’s hands lingering on James’ arms. “Yes, let’s go”, he said, and James nodded, “after you” he said with a little head bow, teasingly, pointing at the driver’s seat. Michael chuckled and nodded too, “so me driving is a tradition now?” he asked as he got on the bike, and James laughed as he hopped on too, “only if you want to”, he said once he was behind him with a soft, teasing voice that made Michael shiver lightly. “I’d be crazy not to”, he said with a slight turn of his head for James to make sure he was saying it with a flirty smile, too, and he wasn’t even sure if they were talking about the driving thing anymore, but who cared?

 

“I can’t believe you’ve learned the way already”, said James as they were driving to the place, and Michael chuckled proudly, “well, I love to drive, so I pay attention when I do”, he answered a bit loudly for James to hear. When they arrived, James whispered a quiet, “thank you” with a little squeeze to his shoulders before coming down from the bike. They walked to the yoga room inside that café they had gone to a couple days ago and Michael was introduced to the instructor, then they took a couple of mats and sat on them in the two spaces they could find together; James told him this class was usually full since it was for all levels. They talked for a couple minutes and then the class started, and during the warm-up Michael couldn’t help but ogle at James since he had placed his mat a little bit ahead from Michael’s offering him a delightful view, and he really couldn’t think it hadn’t been on purpose. He was wearing yoga pants, which were _tight_. He was also wearing a big, long sleeved shirt that covered most of his butt but when he stretched his arms or lifted them, it was there, and God, please have mercy. 

 

Michael really, really didn’t want to be a perv so he concentrated on not looking at him during the stretching but it was almost impossible; his legs were to die for and in every flexing movement he made, he was almost entranced by them. He had the exact type of body that Michael had always found most attractive, with lean, compact muscles and soft curves all over, on his thighs, calves, his shoulders –one of them was peeking out from the wide neck of his shirt- and he remembered vividly the perfect curve of his lower back from the other day when he was wearing a tighter shirt and jeans. He thanked the heavens that there were no mirrors at the front of the class or James would have known he was blatantly checking him out, although he had a feeling that he knew he was doing it, anyway.

 

After the warm-up was done, they started with the routine and since it got a bit more complicated, he actually had to concentrate on the poses instead of James’ perfection, so he got to calm down a bit, but did notice how James, along with some other students, had a stunning ability in the poses that the teacher announced could be done in each student’s respective level, explaining the beginners, intermediate or advanced versions of each pose, so he always made the beginner ones and James did the advanced ones. With each pose, the teacher also explained some of the benefits of it, spiritual and physical, and along with the delicious smell of the incense, the warm light that came from the wide windows and the soft, relaxing music, Michael found it too good to not have tried this before in his thirty years of living. Well, to be fair he had tried it but, as he had imagined, the Indian version wasn’t at all like the couple of classes he had gone to in London. Plus, he had the nicest view during the downward facing dog pose, so there was nothing that could beat this class.

 

“Before the final pose, Savasana, we will work on flexibility and stretching, so please take a partner”, said the teacher in his calm voice, and Michael immediately looked at James, who nodded and then turned to look at Michael and smiled at him softly; “Wanna be on my team?” asked James playfully, and Michael chuckled, “yes, please”. He got in front of Michael as the rest of the students got their own partners, and they started with the exercises as one pushed or pulled whatever body part was needed in order to help the other to reach further or stretch better. He wasn’t very flexible since his type of exercise in the last years had been lifting weighs and some kick-boxing, and never really worked his flexibility, so he was having a bit of difficulty, but to feel James’ soft, knowing hands on the exact spot of his body, was helping him relax and enjoy it grandly. 

 

He also _loved_ to be able to help James in the same way he had done with Michael, but James was already too flexible so he felt like he wasn’t doing much, but he wasn’t going to complain about having a legitimate excuse to touch him. The last exercise was a little tricky, and Michael noticed James blushed when the teacher was starting to explain it; as he finished explaining it, Michael blushed worriedly too, since they would have to basically lay on top of the other in order to stretch their legs –he was also worried about how his leg was going to do _that_ when a couple of students showed the rest of the class what the teacher was talking about, in case someone hadn’t understood. “Wanna go first?” asked James softly, and Michael just nodded and laid on his back. 

 

James kneeled on the side of Michael’s legs and patted his left leg, “okay, stretch this one and keep it on the floor all the time”, he said, and Michael obeyed silently. “Good, now bend the right one and embrace it with your arms”, and when he did, James moved a bit to be aligned with Michael, still kneeling. “Now start stretching it slowly and towards your head, and when it’s the most you can stretch it without any pain, let me know”. Michael nodded and when he felt like he was there, he chuckled since it wasn’t near his head at all, “I think this is it -he said with a little smile- I’m not very flexible”, he added with a blush, and James chuckled, “don’t worry, you’re doing great”, he said with a calm voice as he placed his hand on Michael’s calf and positioned his chest against it, and Michael took a deep breath since he knew he was going to push it down with his body weight so the leg went further, and he didn’t know what scared him more, if James’ nearness or his leg being stretched so much. “Here, I won’t let you get hurt”, he said as he started pushing down slowly, and Michael took another deep breath as he saw James’ beautiful face approaching him with his own leg in the way for God’s sake. He chuckled as he thought that getting hurt was the last thing that was worrying him in that moment. He didn’t sign up for this. It was way too sexy and he was too worried that he’d be lying on top of James next as he helped him stretch out those perfect legs. He groaned a little in pain as he felt the stretch go a little too far, and James stopped, “Okay, I think that’s the limit today. See? You are flexible”, he said in what seemed to be intended as a calm tone but Michael noticed James was as nervous as Michael was. 

 

They did the other leg, and then it was time to change the roles, and James nodded nervously as he laid on the floor and positioned himself, Michael mimicking what James had done previously. “I’m not sure I’ll do it correctly so if it hurts or anything let me know”, he said a bit nervously, and James smiled at him, “don’t worry, you’ll do it great”, he said, and Michael smiled lopsidedly. He watched James bend his leg and then stretch it towards himself in a perfect split that had him thinking of things he’d rather not say, ever, and spoke softly after a thick swallow, “I… are you sure you need my help?” and James chuckled, “yes, I can still go a bit further with a little help”, and Michael nodded. He placed his free hand next to James’ head and moved from his kneeling position to take James’ calf with his hand and align all the length of James’ leg with his own torso, then pushed down. He was literally aching and fighting all the fights to not get aroused, because even if having James doing that to him previously had been sexy, to be on top of James and, basically, help him spread his legs with his own bodyweight was the definition of sexual paradise. He breathed in and out slowly, controlling his own body, and as he was almost completely lying on him, obviously not letting all his weight fall on James, he could see James’ beautiful face from up-close, and licked his lips involuntarily, and saw James swallow heavily, too. Their eyes were locked, and he knew James was struggling equally, since he had literally never felt so much sexual tension around someone in any situation before. “You’re so flexible”, whispered Michael without noticing he had, and he blushed a little when he realized it had come out in a kind of husky voice. James’ answer was a tiny, sexy smile and a darker look in his eyes, and that small gesture spoke a thousand words. Michael could read the “just wait and see” in his face, so he relaxed a little and let his eyes travel from James’ eyes to his lips, making it a little obvious, and James parted his lips just so. He looked back at James’ eyes, and they both smiled softly; “I’ll change legs”, said James a bit quietly, with a tiny smirk, and Michael nodded, kneeling back from him. 

 

To not get hard during these exercises had been hands down the most difficult thing Michael had ever done. At the final position, which was lying down without moving at all to let all the benefits of the class kick in, he got to calm down. Mostly. Not really, no, not at all. He wanted James under him again, with much less people around and much fewer clothes between them. He tried to concentrate on not thinking, as the teacher said, and he secretly blamed the teacher for his present state, then tried to erase that in case the teacher was a mind reader ‘cause he definitely looked like one. He tried to think about other things, and stopped to think he had really enjoyed the class in spite of (maybe because of) the whole feels-like-foreplay exercise thing. 

 

“How did you feel?” asked James as the class ended and they rolled up their yoga mats. “Great! I liked it a lot. I’m definitely coming back”, said Michael with a smile, and James smiled back. “I’m happy to hear that, I think you did great for a first class”, he said, and they both walked out together after putting their shoes on, “I mean, I know you exercise so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to get the gist of it”, added James. Michael chuckled, “how do you know I exercise?” he asked teasingly, and James smiled with a blush, “as a professional physiotherapist, I can tell by your biceps”, he said with a playful tone and a little laugh, and Michael laughed too, “you dork”, he said affectionately, causing James to chuckle and punch his arm playfully. “I’m dying for another Chai, do you have work right now or can you hang out for a bit?” asked Michael as they arrived to the café since they had to cross through it to get to the exit. “Actually I just have three appointments today and they’re in the afternoon, so I can accept your offer”, said James looking up brightly at him, and Michael smiled back as he placed his hand on James’ back smoothly. “Perfect”, he said as they reached for a table and he pulled the chair for James to sit down, and winked at him when he looked up to say a sweet little “thank you”.


	6. Chapter 6

“So it really is all about celebrating coconuts and cashews?” asked Michael as he offered a hand to James for him to come down from the bus they had taken to go downtown. James chuckled, “yes, and it’s huge. See, us Goans are very proud of mastering the art of producing coconuts and cashews so it’s only natural to make a festival about it”, he said good-humoredly and Michael laughed with a simple “I love it”. “It is very fun, though, specially the opening nights, as today”, said James as they walked towards what looked like a night market surrounding a big, central plaza with a stage and a lot of lights, colors and music.

It had been a week since the yoga class. They had been in touch every day, and seen each other for coffee, dinner, or to just casually hang out; they didn’t seem to be able to be apart from each other too much, and their friendship and attraction for each other grew bigger each day. They both made it obvious that they liked each other, but they hadn’t done much about it other than date and not hide their feelings too much.

“This is great, I love it!” repeated Michael as they walked among the stands filled with food, crafts, so many delicious smells coming from everywhere, and as always, lots of people. James laughed happily at Michael’s amazement, and raised his eyebrows excitedly when they reached a specific stand. “Have you ever tried Feni?” he asked Michael, and he shook his head keenly as an answer; James nodded with a big smile and asked for two glasses of it, explaining Michael it was the most traditional drink in Goa and it was a liquor made of, obviously, coconut or cashew. “Cheers!” he said raising his glass, and Michael clinked his glass too with a smile and a happy “cheers!”. He hummed into the glass when he tasted it; it was really good, and so very aromatic, although it was a bit sweeter than what he usually liked. “This tastes like India”, said Michael, enjoying the lingering taste of coconut and alcohol and something else he couldn’t name. “You think so? –asked James interestedly- I like that statement, I approve”. Michael chuckled, “I’m glad you approve. I don’t know, it’s something about the sweetness and the aroma, and the one spicy flavor that I can’t name, and that’s so Indian”, he said, causing James to laugh good-naturedly.

“I’d tell you to be careful since it’s a bit stronger than it seems, but you’re Irish so I know you can hold your liquor, although not as good as a Scotsman”, said James with a teasing smile as they kept walking and looking at some crafts. Michael chuckled, “oh? We’ll have to see about that, Mr. Scotland. But not today and not with Feni”, he said, causing James to laugh; “fair enough. I’ll show up at your house with a bottle of Scotch when you less expect it”, he said, and Michael thought it was the best idea he’d heard. 

They tried traditional food, James explained lots of things to Michael about Goa’s traditions, and Indian traditions in general, and Michael fell more and more in love with India with each step, and with James with each second. He bought a candleholder made out of a coconut for Jan, and a very colorful little jewelry box for his mom.

When they passed near the stage, there was a folklore show, and they stopped and sat on the grass to see it, a bit far from the rest of the people; Michael was fascinated, he adored how intricate the costumes were, the abilities and expressions of the dancers, so different from what he was used to, and the live music entranced him. There wasn’t much light other than the one that came from the stage and a lot of colored lamps that looked like magic fireflies all over the place. “The third girl from left to right used to be with me in primary school”, said James with a little chuckle, and Michael smiled at him, then wondered for a few seconds before asking, “how was it to move to such a different place so young?” and James smiled melancholically. “It was bittersweet. I was very young so it was easy to make new friends and not miss too much the ones I already had back home, and thankfully we came to a place where most people speak English so I wasn’t scared of that, at least not that I recall. Also, if India is an adventure when you’re an adult, being a kid and coming to this place it just, it blows your mind… if you wanted to pretend to be an explorer, you could literally go to the jungle and explore, you know? – he chuckled a bit and so did Michael - but it was also hard on us because of all the background story that brought us here” he said with a little shrug.

Michael nodded, sensing James hadn’t finished yet but he had stayed quiet, and since he didn’t look bummed or uncomfortable, Michael started to ask what he was so curious about, “so, your parents…” James looked up at him attentively, and after a couple seconds he realized Michael wasn’t finishing his question, “oh, well, yeah that’s the background story. My parents got divorced when I was five and my sister and I moved with our grandparents since, well, my father basically disappeared and my mother had too much work and claimed she couldn’t take care of us, so our grandparents took us, and she started gradually disappearing, too –Michael felt a sting in his heart- So my grandfather was offered a job here, and they said yes, and they thought it’d be a good thing for us, to start again in a different place. My mother was okay with it, so they did”. 

Michael felt terrible about having asked about this even if James seemed okay with it, and nodded softly. “I see –he placed his hand on James’ forearm and stroked it softly- I… I’m sorry I brought this up”, he added with a bit of a puppy look, and James smiled, “don’t worry at all, please. I’m perfectly fine with it. I mean, it was definitely hard on me when I was younger, but I worked on it and I really am good about it now. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like my own life, you know? Since I’ve been here for so long, and my grandparents are basically my parents. I really do think their decision was great, and I’m thankful about it”. 

Michael smiled and wished to kiss him probably more than ever. “It’s very refreshing to hear someone so mature and understanding. I just… I really want to say that it’s noticeable that your grandparents did a great job raising you, honestly. You’re already one of the best persons I know”, he said, and received a beautiful smile from James, “thank you, that’s very sweet”. Michael smiled tenderly at him and after a moment searched for James’ hand, softly interlacing their fingers; he could feel his heart in his throat with that simple action, but when he saw James gasping and felt him strengthening their touch with a little smile, he felt calm and simply content. “You’re welcome, sweetheart”, he said, the word rolling out from his mouth easily. James blushed and bit his lip, the same little smile from before growing a bit, and softly rested his head on Michael’s shoulder.

 

-o-

 

Michael was working on selecting and editing some photos from the past week, smiling when James appeared in some of them, especially in the ones from three nights ago in the festival. He achieved a lot of beautiful casual portraits from that night; James photographed beautifully, and Michael thought he’d be a wonderful model since he had all the features for it. As he dragged one of those photos to his selection folder, his cellphone buzzed with a message from James:

 

\- Hello! Are you home? I’m very near and I was wondering if I could come by to say hi :)

 

Michael smiled and answered very quickly,

 

\- Yes, I’m home :) of course you can come! My house is your house (quite literally)

 

\- hahaha, dork! Okay, See you in a bit!

 

He chuckled and got up from his seat in the terrace to tidy up a bit, but the place was already very clean so he checked in the mirror and then put on some coffee. Just a few minutes passed as he went back to work when he saw James coming up the last few steps of the stairs that lead to his flat. They smiled at each other as they said hello with a tight embrace and James gave Michael a soft kiss on the cheek; since the festival they had been more affectionate physically, and Michael realized it had been the hand holding that had triggered it, like they had just needed a simple gesture to let each other know that it was okay to reach out and caress, or hug, even give soft kisses on the cheeks that got closer to the commissure of their lips with each day, but they hadn’t properly kissed, not yet.

 

“I brought coconut biscuits from the market”, said James coming down from his tiptoes and wiggling the bag at Michael; “oh, that’s great, I just put on some coffee –he answered, instantly taking them and putting them next to him on the terrace table he had been working on, also running his hand all along James’ arm before he held his hand softly. James smiled sweetly at him and held Michael’s other hand, entwining their fingers; “what were you up to?” he asked sending his body a bit upfront to be slightly closer to Michael, who was looking at him with what would’ve been hearts in his eyes in a cartoon. “I was choosing some photos from these past few days to add to my portfolio” he said and James made an excited face, “that’s great! Can I see?” he asked, and Michael chuckled tenderly, “of course. I’ll show you the selected ones because there are too many”, he said as he guided them both to the table and sat on the chair in front of the computer, then pulled James softly so he’d sit on his lap. James blushed and sat tentatively on Michael’s left leg, “I don’t want to squash your leg”, he said softly, and Michael chuckled, “you aren’t”, he said simply and gave a little kiss to James’ shoulder as he drew nearer to his laptop. James smiled and nodded a bit nervously.

 

They watched the pictures and James was being a great crowd; he praised each of them excitedly, and commented and asked about the places, since Michael had been on his own most of the times that he took those, but they also commented happily on the pictures of the day of the festival, and James chuckled beautifully whenever a portrait of him appeared, not knowing what to say. After a few of him appeared, Michael chuckled too and said, “I honestly want to select all of your pictures, you look amazing - he could see James blushing and smiling – you would be a great model”. James snorted and blushed a bit more, turning to him with a sweet laugh, “you’re crazy”, he said, and Michael smiled, looking up at him, “I mean it”, he said with a shrug. He really adored having this gorgeous man sitting on his knee, he wanted to stay like that forever.

 

James bit his lip with a lingering smile and reached Michael’s cheek to caress it with his thumb, and he followed the touch with his eyes while Michael looked at him, at those gorgeous eyes and those sweet freckles, at his enticing red lips, everything about James looking so absolutely stunning under the soft afternoon light. “Let’s get that coffee”, said James in a soft voice, and Michael smirked with a little nod. James was utterly teasing him, and it was working probably even more than planned. They got up and entered the flat, chattering about their respective days. Michael was serving the coffee in a couple of mugs when he felt a soft weight behind him, and he gasped lightly, then continued with what he was doing with a smile on his face; James placed his body behind Michael’s with his cheek on the side of his shoulder and ran his hand from the middle of his shoulder blades down to his lower back, drumming his fingertips when he settled his hand. “Milk and sugar, right?” asked Michael turning to look down at that gorgeous face that was peeking next to him, and James nodded with a sweet smile, “yes, please”. He did everything a bit slower since he didn’t want James to move from where he was, but when he finished preparing both mugs, James moved a bit to let him turn around and took his mug with both hands, stretching his body again to kiss Michael’s jaw chastely with a soft, “thank you”, driving the poor man mad.

 

They walked towards the terrace and stayed in the doorframe, looking at the mountains in front of them, James telling Michael about his appointments of the day, and about some places that he said he knew Michael would love, mentioning they’d have to go visit them soon so he could take more pictures. Michael listened entrancedly by his beauty and by his sweet, elegant features and movements; how his hands expressed so much, how his eyes could tell a thousand stories. They finished their coffees and left the mugs right there on the terrace, and a soft wind blew around them making the yellow drapes fly beautifully, surrounding James’ frame again, like the day they first met. Michael smiled as he saw it happening, and James laughed softly, taking the end of one drape and rolling himself up in it playfully, “These curtains are one of my favorite things about this place”, he said, and Michael chuckled tenderly because of James’ innocent, uncomplicated ways, something that he admired and adored about him. 

 

“Come here”, said Michael a bit hoarsely, extending his arm and reaching for James’ waist, pulling him close and right in front of him. He heard James gasp softly, and could see his eyes go a shade darker even behind the yellow see-through curtain that was the only thing that separated them in that moment. They stared at each other’s eyes for a few seconds, and without letting go of his waist, Michael reached the edge of the curtain with his free hand and lowered it slowly, revealing only James’ forehead, and gave it a kiss. He lowered it a bit more, and kissed his cheek and then the bridge and the tip of his nose, noticing James was very still, waiting, and his eyes were heavy-lidded now with expectation. Michael took a deep breath as he lowered the drape more, revealing James’ lips, and getting impossibly close, brushed the tip of their noses together softly, their parted lips brushing too; with his heart on his throat, feeling James’ warm breath against his mouth and both their breaths quickening, he closed the gap with a slow kiss, James immediately reacting to it.

 

After a couple seconds, they both let go of the curtain completely and James placed his hands on Michael’s neck, and Michael on James’ waist and back. Their kiss started slow, almost careful, but Michael got increasingly eager and began quickening the pace a bit, making it more wet, and felt James moan softly into his mouth. He moaned too and pulled at his lower lip before he said between kisses and pants, “ _God_ , James – you’re gorgeous”, and James answered quickly, “so are you”, panting too against his lips. Michael lowered himself a bit to kiss James’ chin, then kissed all the way along his jaw and down his neck, going a bit more intense with each kiss, licking and sucking a bit, and each little moan or grunt that came from James was a serious test of his self-control. He stopped after he heard himself moaning, realizing he was being a bit rough and it was the first time they kissed, so with a little chuckle he swallowed heavily and said, “sorry, I’m sorry”, giving a last little kiss to the spot he had been licking and sucking at and then came back to James’ lips, kissing them softly. “Why are you sorry?” asked a flustered James, and Michael breathed in heavily at the sight of it because it was seriously the most gorgeous and arousing thing he’d seen, ever. His cheeks were blushed and his lips were red and swollen, his hair a bit disheveled, and his eyes a dark, striking blue. “I got too excited”, he answered, still panting, and James chuckled, “I don’t see how that would be a problem for anyone”, his voice parting a bit with heavy breaths, kissing Michael in between his words. 

 

Michael smiled charmingly and ran his hand all along James’ back, up to his neck, and cupping it he kissed him slowly again, savoring the taste and movement of James’ slick tongue and how warm it felt against his own, sending shivers all along his spine, making him dizzy with want. “ _Ah_ \- Michael”, said James sexily, and Michael breathed out heavily, “yes?”; James waited for a moment before he said, “I like you so much, ever since I saw you for the first time, I’ve been dreaming of you, of this”, his words being cut by soft kisses and breaths, and Michael moaned softly before saying, “God, when I saw you, James… you don’t even know – he kissed him a bit more eagerly, getting hotter just by saying these things, finally- you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and now we’re here, and I can kiss you”, he said breathily, kissing him almost with each word, and James chuckled softly before moving his hands from Michael’s arms to his hair, grasping it a bit tightly, making Michael squirm under his touch; he licked Michael’s lower lip hotly, slowly, and Michael moaned into his mouth, “ah – _baby_ ”, his eyes closed and his hands traveling dangerously low. James moaned too at hearing Michael say that along with all the delicious sensations; he pulled apart slightly to take some air and, looking at him with the sexiest look that Michael had ever seen, said “take me inside” huskily, to which Michael moaned softly and nodded, pulling at James’ lower lip.


	7. Chapter 7

His stomach and skin were burning up; he had never tasted lips so soft and warm before, and it had become an addiction in less than five minutes. He took James’ waist and pulled him close as they walked clumsily inside, not being able to stop kissing. As soon as they walked in, Michael positioned James against the wall and plastered his body against him, causing them both to moan into their kiss; he ran his hands from James’ cheeks all along his chest and placed them on his hips, and James seemed like he wanted to melt and fuse with Michael’s body with how close and warm he was getting with each touch. 

 

Michael searched for James’ hand and entwined their fingers as he guided their hands against the wall and above James’ head, then opened his hand softly, caressing James’ palm from the center to his fingertips with a slow motion, causing James to shiver with the sensation; the slow movement made their kiss to slow down too, unconsciously, and the eagerness from a few minutes before turned into a soft, sensual exploration of each other’s mouths and skin. Michael reached for the hem of James’ shirt and slowly ran his fingers under it, caressing James’ hipbone and lower stomach with his thumb, and after hearing James’ breath catching, he hooked his index finger between his underwear and his skin, right under his hipbone. He couldn’t believe he was there, in India, kissing the most beautiful person he had seen and met, so far away from London, from Jan and his family and his friends; it was just the two of them in this huge, magic country, and it made him happy all the way to his bones.

 

James was almost dizzy with Michael’s touch, his taste and how good he smell. He wanted that man on him, every second of every hour, kissing, touching, doing whatever he wanted to do to him. He couldn’t help but moan when he felt Michael’s warm, enquiring finger hooking in his trousers, and to let him know that he could definitely keep going, he stopped their kiss with a slow pull of Michael’s lower lip and rested his head on the wall, looking at those gorgeous eyes and running his hands along his chest, down to the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up slowly, just exposing Michael’s stomach. He stopped a little after seeing what was actually underneath that shirt, and he had just seen half of it, but it was amazing and he had to take a couple of seconds; he honestly didn’t expect such perfect, tight abs and it made his mouth water just to realize how ridiculously hot Michael was. He kept pulling the shirt up and even if he did expect the pecs –Michael’s shirts were tight enough- he was still surprised and moaned faintly once the shirt was over Michael’s shoulders and soon down on the floor. He hadn’t even noticed when Michael had pulled his finger out from James’ trousers to be able to take the shirt off, but instead of placing it back there again, he ran his open hand underneath James’ button shirt and felt his stomach, causing him to sigh with the pleasure of that big, warm hand on his skin.

 

He pulled it out after a bit and ran his both hands up his chest to start unbuttoning James’ shirt, placing both of their foreheads together. James sighed nervously and licked his lips with expectation, letting Michael unbutton his shirt as he ran his open hands along Michael’s muscular arms, shoulders and chest, feeling himself getting harder with the feeling of that delicious golden skin under his hands. Michael took his time unbuttoning James’ shirt, enough to make it sexier, and as his own chest was being exposed, he got even more aroused with the look on Michael’s face; it was of pure lust, and James felt proud and dizzy with want by thinking it was him who was making Michael so yearning. He duck into Michael’s neck to kiss him, causing him to moan huskily with a lick, then felt Michael pulling at his shirt to take it off completely and running his hands all along his back and hips to carry him effortlessly with one quick motion. James gasped and moaned as he felt both their chests and pelvises so close together, Michael’s big hands under his butt to carry him, and his own legs surrounding Michael’s waist for support. He chuckled a bit with nervousness as he realized he was taking them to the bedroom, and moaned loudly into the other man’s mouth when they both landed on the bed, Michael rubbing their erections together with a slow roll of his hips.

 

Michael was on top of him and pulled back, kneeling, and as he looked up and down James’ torso, he said “you’re gorgeous, and so, so sexy” with a voice full of lust, to which James blushed and swallowed heavily, then realized he hadn’t said so to Michael. “Thank you… you’re – fuck- you’re the hottest man I’ve ever seen”, said James, panting slightly and taking another long look at Michael’s body. Michael smirked with a little blush and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, “I knew these red covers were going to be of use someday. You look fucking hot lying on them”, with a little chuckle, and James burst out laughing, letting his tension go away with it, “red covers are normal on Indian beds, I think”, he said with a big smile, and Michael chuckled, “I know, I like them”, he said getting close to James again, his tone a bit huskier, letting half of his weight to rest on James’ body, causing him to moan softly again. “And I like you”, said James between kisses, his hands exploring Michael’s strong back, relishing on the mouthwatering curves of his shoulder blades, and trying not to name all the muscles he could feel on Michael’s body, certain that it was the best body he had ever laid hands on, and to be fair, that was his actual work. “I like you, too”, said Michael as he kissed James’ jaw and traveled to his earlobe, licking and biting, breathing sexily into James’ ear. 

 

James’ mind started going blank as Michael began moving his hips ever so lightly, rolling them maddeningly slow, pacing the rhythm with the one of his kisses; he found himself breathing quickly, moving his own hips against Michael’s, and wanting more. He could feel Michael was big and tight underneath his jeans and it was driving him crazy; “I’ve been dreaming of having you here, like this, since that exercise in the first yoga class”, said Michael from his spot on James’ neck, then moving to kiss his lips warmly. James chuckled, remembering how he had had that same struggle; “God, me too –he said with an eager voice, licking Michael’s lower lip and capturing with his teeth for a few seconds before letting go of it- I want you”, he almost whispered, looking up at Michael’s eyes with an intense gaze, feeling butterflies in his stomach by saying so and feeling the powerful energy between them. Michael felt the movement in his lower stomach too and swallowed heavily, “you’re incredible –he kissed him chastely – I want you too, so much”, he said, then took James’ hips and switched places with him, craving to have all the weight of that gorgeous body on top of him. James gasped and smiled brightly at him before settling in their new arrangement, spreading his legs to surround Michael’s legs and snaking his body a bit, incredibly close and warm, kissing Michael openly and a bit wet. Michael groaned with James’ mind-blowing sensuality and ran his hands along his back and down to his butt cheeks, grabbing and squeezing them, finally. He had wanted to do that since day one. James moaned into his mouth and rolled his hips against Michael’s, encouraging him to continue with the butt-grabbing since it felt like heaven; he moved his hips to place his hands between them and tentatively unbutton Michael’s jeans, looking at him in the eye. 

 

Michael was waiting for James to do so, since he didn’t want to be too forward, so when he started undoing his jeans, he responded eagerly by helping James undo his, and in less than ten seconds they were both in their underwear, panting. Michael moved his hand underneath James’ briefs and squeezed again, moaning at the sensation of his skin and the perfect combination of soft and round and also a bit muscular; “fuck, you have the perfect ass”, he said as he squeezed with his both hands now; he had always been an ass man, he couldn’t help it. James moaned open-mouthed at Michael’s words and those hands, so strong and wanting and perfect; “thank you”, answered James, flustered, and looked down as he moved his hand between them again. Michael stopped and moved his hands to James’ hips, still underneath his underwear, and as James pulled back a bit to kind of kneel on the bed over Michael and have more space to actually explore what was waiting for him, Michael kept his hands in place for a moment as they looked into each other’s eyes, asking a silent question: what was next?

 

Michael swallowed and decided to give the next step, so he placed one of his hands on James’ hipbone and the other kept crawling up to James’ bulge underneath his briefs, taking a soft hold of it and setting it free. James closed his eyes and moaned instantly, the feeling of Michael’s strong, warm hand making him squirm again. “Fuck…” he whispered after Michael gave a couple of pumps up and down, and Michael’s mouth watered with the image in front of him, James looking so incredibly sexy with slight sweat covering his body – God bless India’s heat at that moment-, his perfect, lean muscular body trembling under his touch, and the sensation of his warm, very hard dick in his hand, at his mercy. He ached for James to touch him, too, but he wouldn’t say so since he didn’t want James to do anything he didn’t want to, but his partner seemed to have read his mind since he opened his eyes heavily and reached for Michael’s underwear, lowering it a bit eagerly, revealing his cock. 

 

James moaned in what he thought was an embarrassingly keen way once he saw Michael’s cock, feeling close to coming just by the sight, ridiculous as it may sound. He stared at it for a few seconds before taking it with a slightly trembling hand, and jumped a bit when Michael moaned loudly the moment he touched him; “fuck, you’re – _aah_ – you’re so big” he said, and Michael smiled a little with a small raise of his brow, and James added quickly, “so hot”, with a huskier voice, and saw Michael relax; he smiled at James sexily and squeezed his cock a bit, spreading with his thumb the pebble of pre-cum on the tip, making him moan; “you’re delicious”, said Michael with a raspy voice, only increasing James’ desire for him. Michael’s body looked like it was taken out straight from a porno, and James had never been with someone like that, he almost didn’t know what to do, but when he looked up a bit to look at Michael’s face and saw him biting his lip, breathing heavily for him, _for James_ , his lust and confidence augmented, starting to jerk Michael’s delicious cock slowly, bending over to kiss his lips in the same way, sticking his butt out a bit unconsciously. Michael moaned into James’ mouth, taking a tighter hold of his cock and moved his other hand back to his butt, causing James to moan, too. 

 

James found himself following Michael’s rhythm with his own hand, and after a couple minutes it became faster, more eager. They moaned and panted into each other’s mouths and skin, Michael traveling along James’ shoulders, neck and chest, savoring his salty skin, and James couldn’t stop touching Michael’s arms and hair, kissing his jaw and neck. Michael’s hand on James’ ass had traveled to his back, hips and what he could reach of his leg, then came back to his butt and as their rhythm became faster, he felt brave enough to place the tip of his middle finger right at the start of James’ cleft, and since he heard him moan and felt his back curving, he ran his finger all along between his butt cheeks, causing James to moan loudly this time, clenching his body deliciously over Michael. “Is that okay?”, whispered Michael against James’ chin before kissing it, staring at him with big, lustful eyes; James looked down and, breathing heavily, nodded his head, not being able to talk. 

 

He had been yearning to feel Michael there, and even if it was his fingers and he didn’t even push them in, he just placed them there, he felt as aroused as he had never felt before; he briefly imagined Michael’s huge cock being slowly pushed into him, his legs spread, the weight of Michael’s perfect body on his back, kissing and licking his neck – “ _fuck_ ”, he whispered hotly, feeling himself getting too close, and with a long jerk of Michael’s hand on his cock and a soft, almost imperceptible push of his fingertip to James’ entrance, he moaned loudly, curving his back dramatically and pulling at Michael’s cock strongly too, starting to feel the waves of pleasure travelling all the way from his tummy to his toes, “yeah, _fuck_ , come for me baby, just like that”, said Michael with a slightly broken voice, a long moan coming right after and a strong curving of his back, too; “mmm – mhm, come with me, Michael”, whispered James huskily against Michael’s warm, open mouth, right before spilling into Michael’s hand and stomach, causing him to come in that same moment too with a loud groan and tight squeeze of his ass.

 

They stayed right where they were, panting heavily until their breaths slowed down, sharing the soft, warm air between their slightly open mouths, their noses and foreheads together. Michael caressed James’ butt softly and moved to his back, slowly caressing with his fingertips, and James moved his hand up to his mouth to lick at it slowly, looking into Michael’s eyes with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Michael moaned softly at the sight; James licking his cum was hands down the sexiest fantasy he had and he didn’t even know he had it. “You’re gonna make me come again”, he said softly and kissed his wrist, causing James to chuckle. Michael felt his heart go warmer at the sound of James’ sweet, beautiful laugh, all of him being so vulnerable at that moment, looking so mesmerizingly beautiful it hurt. “That was amazing, and delicious, I just… I honestly can’t get enough of you, James. Thank you”, said Michael, his hand making small circles on James’ lower back, and it was starting to lull James to sleep; James smiled sweetly and kissed Michael’s chin, “it really was. I can’t get enough of you, either, since we met. You’re wonderful and I’m so grateful that you decided to come here… I feel like –he paused, thinking, running his thumb softly across Michael’s lower lip, not really aware of what he was doing to the man- I might sound crazy, but I feel such a strong connection with you, like a very old one, you know?” he said with a little blush, not wanting to scare Michael but he did feel that way. 

 

Michael smiled sweetly at him and kissed his lips softly, “I know what you mean, gorgeous, I feel it too. It feels amazing”, he said, causing James to smile brightly and to kiss him a bit more eagerly, “you hippie”, he added jokily with a smile, and James burst out laughing, hiding his head in Michael’s neck, his smile lingering as he heard and felt their heartbeats compliment each other, and placed a sweet, chaste kiss on Michael’s neck right before falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

“Dear God, it feels like this place gets hotter each day”, said Michael light-heartedly but resting his head dramatically on the back of the bus’ seat, letting it drop, exposing his neck. James grinned and placed his mouth on Michael’s shoulder, taking a good look at the sharp muscles in his neck; “well, you did decide to come here at the beginning of summer, smarty-pants”, he said with a slightly muffled voice, looking up at him through his long eyelashes. He saw Michael smile and chuckle and made sure he was smiling brightly when he turned to look down at him. “I know, and I love it. I just love the drama, too”, he said jokingly with a little wink, and James blushed a little with a shy smile, his mouth still pressed against Michael’s shoulder.

 

They shared a sweet look for a couple seconds and James turned to look around them discreetly, then moved his hand to caress the top of Michael’s hand, who interlaced their fingers almost instantly. James smiled and pulled his legs up, resting his feet on the seat too, and Michael chuckled with tenderness because this position made James look even smaller; he imagined himself trying to accomplish that position and decided that his long legs wouldn’t let him and he’d look positively awkward and ridiculous, but James looked cool and relaxed, like always. “We’re almost there, we’ll arrive in about 10 minutes”, said James after a bit, looking outside the window next to Michael. Michael nodded, “I’ll prepare my camera, then”, he said, and placed a quick kiss on James’ hand before letting it go to take his equipment out. James looked at what he was doing interestedly, asking some questions and enjoying Michael’s passionate and professional answers, it made James even more attracted to him, if that was possible. 

 

“I can’t wait to see the pictures you take today, they’ll be amazing”, he said softly, resting his head on the seat and looking at Michael. Michael smiled enthusiastically at him, “I can’t wait to just be there, it’s one of the things in my bucket list and it just… I can’t believe we’re doing it. Thank you for coming with me, it just makes it a thousand times more special”, he said, and James smiled at him fully, a warm feeling traveling from his heart to the rest of his body. “I haven’t ridden an elephant in years, I’m as excited as if it was the first time, too –he said, caressing Michael’s knee, taking a pause- and I can’t explain how happy it makes me to bring you here, to show you my home”. Michael smiled at him with a little sigh, his expression soft, and after a couple seconds got close to kiss him, but James gasped and moved a bit, his eyes widening. Michael panicked and frowned in confusion, feeling himself go pale, but James started explaining very quickly, “sorry, I’m so sorry, just… - he sighed- people aren’t as open to homosexuality here as they are in Europe”, he said with a soft and apologetic voice, worry plastered all over his face along with a slight blush. Michael blushed too and cursed himself for not having thought about that and putting James in an awkward situation, “fuck, you’re right, I’m sorry, it didn’t occur to me -he whispered too, pulling back – I’m just very used to it being completely normal” he added. James looked at him for a couple of seconds with a frown and, with a decided gesture, he cupped Michael’s cheek and said, “no, don’t be sorry – he pulled him a bit and got closer himself- I shouldn’t be scared” he added softly against his lips, and kissed him chastely, lingering a bit and nibbling for a second at Michael’s lower lip, making him slightly dizzy with how good it felt.

 

“Baby, you don’t have to”, said Michael softly at him right after they pulled apart, and James smiled at him sweetly, “I know, but I want to –he said, looking up at Michael’s beautiful face, at those hypnotic eyes, and chuckled incredulously at his good luck- and God, I owe it to all the gay people out there to show you off, you’re ridiculously handsome”. Michael smirked and rubbed his nose against James’ cheek tenderly, “you’re the sweetest, most gorgeous man alive”, he said softly with a little kiss to his chin in between, sending a fire-y shiver along James’ spine. “Thank you, babe -he bit his own lip with a little smile and looked out the window, recognizing the place – hey, we’ll stop in a couple of minutes” he said, gesturing at Michael’s camera in his lap. Michael looked out the window too and hurried to put his things back in the bag, then the bus driver shouted the name of the place and most of the people in the bus stood up quickly and started coming down, so did James and Michael.

 

It had been around a week from the day back in Michael’s flat when they had finally kissed, and they had been even more inseparable since. As Michael told James one day the things he wanted to do in India, he mentioned this thing he had wanted to do for years, riding an elephant. He knew it was common in India and he had learned that in Goa they’d give you a ride in the jungle, and James got very excited since he knew a man who did that, Naresh –he was the housekeeper’s nephew and they had known each other for years, they were around the same age- so they planned on going the next Saturday. As soon as they exited the bus, James began walking expertly along the people, Michael walking next to him; as they got closer to the jungle area where you could see some elephants and people around them, it wasn’t long before James interrupted his own speech about animal respect traditions to say “oh, there he is!” and pulled Michael along with him, making him smile. They approached a young man who was sitting close to a gorgeous elephant, and smiled brightly at them when he saw James, who spoke to him in Indian and introduced Michael to him, in Indian too, but Michael could catch that and shook his hand with a bright smile. They talked for a minute, gesturing at the elephant a couple times, then James nodded excitedly and turned to Michael, “we’ll ride with him, let’s go say hi to the elephant”, and Michael nodded too, smiling at them both. 

 

They got closer to him and Michael was intimidated, excited and a little frightened, just because he had never been this close to such a big animal before. James was the one who petted him first, stretching his arm to caress his trunk; “hey, boy! Aren’t you gorgeous? We’re gonna ride with you today, if you’ll have us”, he said softly, and Michael knew he was really just talking to the elephant, and it melted his heart all the way that he was just so sweet. He reached for his trunk too, close to James’ hand, and looked into his big, dark eye, and suddenly felt like crying; he felt tiny, next to this enormous animal, with eyes that spoke of a beautiful soul, surrounded by the big, warm, full of life jungle, accompanied by who was, without a doubt, the most amazing man in the world. He felt small and grateful, and for a second he felt like the elephant had understood his feelings, just by looking at him in the eye. It was a bit crazy, but then again, his life wasn’t the most normal one at the moment, so he just smiled and embraced it.

 

“I’m Michael - he said, looking at the elephant’s eyes still - and this is James – he gestured at James with his head, who was smiling at the unexpected chit-chat from Michael – I’m sorry if I’m too heavy, I know James isn’t”. James laughed and kissed his shoulder, and they waited for a few minutes before Naresh reappeared with some stuff for the ride, minutes that Michael used to take some photos and just hang out with James and the elephant, so he’d get acquainted with the two of them before they rode him; James mentioned he thought it was important to get him to like them first so they’d all be comfortable, and Michael agreed. “Come on, let’s hop on”, he said as Naresh pulled some steps for them to get on top of the elephant, which had a type of basket, a big one, where you could easily fit four people. It was just the two of them though, so they sat comfortably. James and Naresh, who stayed in the ground to guide the elephant, exchanged a few words before the elephant started to walk, and he and Michael laughed nervously with the movement, taking each other’s hands immediately. “God, I can’t believe we’re actually on an elephant”, said Michael excitedly, and James laughed beautifully, looking around him like a child who was discovering the jungle for the first time. It endeared Michael in ways he didn’t know were possible, and he was as impacted by the jungle as James looked; as they got deeper, the greens got darker, more vast, and the sounds and smells were almost palpable. He felt alive, and small again, and so big at the same time; he had to breathe deep so he wouldn’t cry in excitement. James noticed how his eyes were shiny, and with a small, endeared sound he got closer to Michael and rested his body on his, sitting right in front on him and letting his head fall back onto Michael’s shoulder. “I love being here with you”, he whispered, and Michael kissed his neck as a response, surrounding his waist with his arms. 

 

“So do I. This is so wonderful”, he said after a moment, softly into his ear, almost as if he didn’t want to interrupt the rhythm and sounds of the magnificent jungle surrounding them, and James understood that feeling completely, he felt that way too at the moment, and with so many other things since his life’s philosophy had taught him to appreciate the grandness in everything; he was happy Michael was experiencing it, too. He placed his hand on Michael’s hand, and smiled up to the sky, enjoying the soft breeze that came through the trees every now and then. After a few minutes, he could feel the subtle movement in Michael’s hand as it began caressing James’ stomach over his shirt; soft, lazy circles with his fingertips, and he couldn’t help to smile and moan softly. Every single touch that Michael offered was a glorious feeling that left him speechless, with an urge to beg for more, even if it was a simple caress, a brush of fingers against his skin; he crawled his hand under James’ shirt, caressing his hipbone and lower belly. James chuckled pleasantly, “that’s dangerous”, he said with a slightly husky voice, and Michael chuckled too and whispered to his ear, “more dangerous than riding an elephant?”, causing James to laugh. “I think so –he answered, turning his body to face Michael and reached for his lips with a flirtatious look in his face- definitely bumpier, though”. They both chuckled lightly and James instantly kissed him the way he had quickly learned that drove Michael a bit crazy; “speaking of bumpy – he said sexily against Michael’s lips- there’s something waiting for you back home”, and looked at him suggestively for just a second, enjoying Michael’s dazed look and the thick swallow he gave. With a devilish smile he turned back to his previous position, taking Michael’s arms and placing them around his waist, sitting back contentedly. Michael reacted a couple seconds later since his survival instinct had told him to just shut everything down unless he wanted to rip James’ clothes open right there on top of that poor elephant. He recovered quickly from the shot of lust and chuckled roguishly against his ear, “can’t wait”, he said simply. James smirked and breathed in and out, placing his attention in the jungle again, leaving his lavish thoughts for later. After a moment they were both entranced with the view again; the heavy, steady thumps of each step of the elephant was a rhythm that helped them maintain a state of awareness, and they enjoyed the rest of the ride silently, comfortable in each other’s arms.

 

-o-

 

“So, did you have fun, handsome?”, asked James as he surrounded Michael’s neck with his arms, going on his tiptoes. Michael loved that simple gesture, it made James’ shortness more evident and his mouth watered just to be reminded that he could manhandle, carry or cover him easily, acknowledging that he definitely had a size kink – one that James seemed to share, too. He nodded happily as he surrounded James’ waist, “yes, it was amazing! Everything I expected and more –he said with a contented smile- and I feel so full of energy, probably from being so close to nature all day”, he said with a little chuckle, and James smiled brightly at him, gaving him a soft kiss that quickly escalated to a very warm, sensual one. He pulled back a bit and ran his finger along Michael’s cheek slowly, “do you want to… channel all that energy? ‘Cause I know a few tricks for that”, he said with a small, mischievous smirk, and Michael snorted and groaned right before kissing James open-mouthed, intensely, that question being all he needed to hear to trigger his lust all over again. “Yes, please”, he said huskily between kisses, as they both walked towards Michael’s bedroom, never stopping the kisses or the groping of whatever they could reach and touch.

 

They bumped against the bed and threw themselves onto it, Michael on top of James, pulling back to take his shirt off and then the one James was wearing. James spread his legs and placed them around Michael’s waist, pulling him down for another wet kiss, which was suddenly interrupted by Michael, “hey! You said there was something waiting for me here”, he said with wide eyes, and James chuckled and nodded, “mhm”, moving to kiss Michael’s neck. He moaned softly before saying, “where is it?” breathlessly, and James bit him, “you’re gonna have to find it yourself, sweetie”. Michael groaned and kissed James’ clavicle enticingly, “do I need it right now, or can it wait?”. James meant to tell him to look for it but that mouth on his chest was working its magic and fuck it, it wasn’t really necessary at the moment; “nah, you can get it later. Don’t you dare to leave right now”. Michael chuckled and licked a long line from James’ nipple to his neck, then kissed and licked his jaw in a way that James thought must be illegal somewhere, making him squirm and moan under him. “Perfect”, whispered Michael against his ear, spreading James’ legs from his knees and rolling his hips against him, moaning together.

 

They had been very intimate during this past week, but they hadn’t had sex yet, it had been more like a fully exploratory time where they’d learned how to move with the other, what made each other moan, pant; what tickled, what they didn’t like. It was really a whole new world to explore and both were entranced with the other’s beauty and the way they felt around each other, which made every single touch tingle and travel all around in waves of this energy they seemed to share so intensely. James had never been with someone with a body like Michael’s –or as handsome as him- and it made him nervous and blatantly horny to just look at him whenever he’d take his clothes off and those muscles would flex and sweat and he’d look at James like he’ll be having him for dinner; it was plain hot, and he could feel how Michael’s masculine, fire-y energy fitted perfectly with his own more earth-like one. He was obsessed by now, with Michael’s voice, Michael’s height, Michael’s dick, Michael’s heart, _Michael_. He knew and felt how they complimented each other perfectly, and he didn’t know what was going to happen whenever they made love; the world was probably going to explode.

 

Michael, he savored James all over, from his name on his lips to the golden shimmer of his hair and down to his slightly crooked pinky toe in his left foot. It was crazy, he had never imagined being head over heels with someone so quickly, so honestly, and it made him happier than what he ever thought he’d accomplish to be in his whole life. It amazed him how the blue in his eyes shifted to a dark one whenever Michael would simply caress him, and the sounds he made with his touches were heaven. He had noticed James had an ability and grace to move that stunned Michael and made him squirm and wish to have him, to be him, to just stare and die happy; he literally had the body of his dreams, the type of body he used to dream of in lonely nights before, and it was a thousand times better because no one, ever, could imagine from scratch the way his muscles clenched so perfectly when he was about to come, or create that face in their imagination, just God when he was in the best of moods. 

 

“Too many clothes”, mumbled James as he tried to grab Michael’s butt underneath his trousers, and Michael nodded, agreeing. He pulled apart and undid James’ trousers first, then his, and with a deep breath to slow down a bit, he reached for James’ stomach and placed kisses and a few teasing bites as he pulled his clothes down, leaving him completely naked under him. He swallowed and took off his last pieces of clothing too, then came back to James’ stomach, traveling with lingering kisses to his navel, then down to his hipbones, his hips and thighs, which James spread welcomingly, increasing Michael’s lust intensely. He pressed his lips against James’ cock, teasing him, and James gave a long, deep moan once Michael licked him from the bottom to the top, circling the tip with his tongue and wrapping it with his mouth completely. 

 

“You’re gorgeous –he said passionately between sucking a bit more intensely- you’re fucking gorgeous, so perfect”, he moved to kiss his inner thigh as James positioned his legs over Michael’s shoulders, feeling his shoulder blades move under his calves, and moaned deeply at all the sensations, caressing Michael’s hair. “So are you”, he said breathlessly, and felt Michael move again, placing his mouth over his hipbone, caressing his thighs and sides. “Please let me have you” he almost whispered against James’ skin, his eyes closed, and when James looked down at him, Michael looked up, his eyes full of lust and hope and love; James felt a knot in his throat, a happy one, humbled by Michael’s soul and fired up by his body and the mere idea of this actually happening. He moaned and caressed Michael’s cheek, then pulled him up by his arm, “yes, make love to me –he said against his mouth, his heart racing dramatically, happy to feel Michael’s warm body covering him completely- please fuck me, Michael”, he added huskily, receiving a deliciously low moan from his lover, who spread James’ legs wider with his hands before quickly stretching to grab the lube from the nightstand. They had used it once before in their experimentations, playing with a couple of Michael’s fingers, and he had learned a bit about James in this topic. He spread a bit on his fingers and looked for James’ entrance, caressing softly before inserting his fingertip and, since James was welcoming and so responsive, Michael pushed the rest of the finger in almost quickly, causing James to moan and arch his back. As he worked him open, James spread lube on his own hand and began jerking Michael’s cock slowly, eager to have a taste of it inside of him –and just a tiny bit worried about the size- and Michael panted and increased the rhythm with his fingers.

 

After feeling James pushing against him and hearing him moan so eagerly, Michael placed the tip of his cock replacing his fingers and just held it there for a couple of seconds, adjusting his body with James’ and looking at him in the eye. They shared an excited look, one filled with anticipation and desire, with complicity; they knew this was a turning point, that after sharing this there was no turning back, because there was no way that this wasn’t going to blow up their minds and make them fall madly in love. They held a breath as Michael moved his hips slightly, entering James slowly, both of them too aware of every single sensation; it was magic. James closed and opened his eyes with a pleasant frown as Michael kept going in, and Michael’s breathing augmented and hitched, the sensation of James’ warm, tight insides the best thing he had ever felt up to this moment. When Michael was completely inside, he waited a bit for James to adjust to the size and they whispered a few loving words as they waited, their hearts in their throats; after a minute, Michael began moving his hips in a steady rhythm, thrusting slowly, and they caressed, bit and licked whatever they could reach as the rhythm augmented. “Fuck – _fuck_ – James, you’re tight, and so gorgeous, it’s too good”, he said between kisses on James’ neck, who was kissing at a spot on Michael’s shoulder, one of James’ favorite parts of Michael’s body. He moaned and pushed eagerly against that delicious cock, feeling a steady tingle in all of his body, “mmm, Michael, you’re huge –he said hoarsely- you fill me up so good, baby”, he said slowly against his ear; Michael’s body reacted to James’ erotic words and voice, his thrusts becoming harder and his heart pounding hard in his chest, looking for the warmth of James’ mouth and kissing him as if he was holding to dear life.

 

They kept a steady rhythm for a while, both panting and moaning in unison; James was roaming his hands all over Michael’s upper body, caressing his slightly bearded cheeks and his short hair lovingly, sometimes a bit roughly, and digging his fingertips on Michael’s back whenever he thrust harder or deeper. Michael kept his left forearm on the bed as a support, and with his other hand he stroked James’ sides, his legs and caressed his cheeks too. “You’re so good”, moaned James agitatedly, turning his face against Michael’s palm and kissing it with a little bite; Michael smiled and moved his hand to James’ hair, running his fingers through it and getting close to his lips, “you just wait, sweetheart”, he whispered, and without a warning he angled his hips to thrust deep and hit James’ sweet spot, earning a mouth-watering moan and arching of James’ back, “oh, fuck”, mumbled James breathlessly, “yes, baby, right there”, he added when Michael hit it again, who was transfixed with James’ face, the expressions he made when he moaned, the way his body was shining slightly with sweat, making him look delicious.

 

They could feel how each thrust filled them up with a warm, earnest energy connecting them in an almost palpable way, the way that making love should always feel, thought Michael. “I’m – oh, wow, fuck- I’ll come, soon”, panted James with his eyes shut tight, placing his hands around Michael’s neck and leveraging to hold his hips up, closer to Michael, making him go deeper if that was even possible; he had never known this sensation before, the actual need of having someone else’s heat and flesh fill him up in every possible way, and didn’t want it to end, ever. “Me too” said Michael breathily near his mouth, stopping a kiss to say so, then continued kissing James even deeper, expertly combining the movement of his hips with the one of his tongue and lips, causing him to melt under him and against the mattress. With a couple of sharp thrusts, Michael felt how he was closer than thought and moaned deeply into James’ mouth with a frown, “come with me, James -aah- please, babe”, he said with a raspy voice, thrusting with all the energy that he got, adrenaline running all over his body in ways he didn’t know possible, and James nodded, which was all Michael needed to release himself into him deeply, closing his eyes and feeling just blank for a few seconds, almost as if his soul had left his body along with James’ soul, had danced and laughed around the stars up in the sky, then came back, starting at their toes and slowly bringing them back to the present moment. When Michael opened his eyes, James was panting hard, his eyes closed still, his face as peaceful as it looked when he was in meditation in yoga class, but prettier, with a gorgeous glow that he knew was only achievable by orgasms that good.

 

He slowly, carefully reached for James’ chin and kissed it softly, looking closely at his beautiful face. James smiled a little, still breathing deeply, and Michael noticed a small tear coming down from his eye, a solitary one that disappeared quickly into his hair. Michael smiled, knowing it was a good type of tear; he kissed the trail of the tear chastely, right at the corner of James’ eye. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”, he asked softly, and James’ smile grew wider, opening his eyes and turning to look at Michael, “yes, God yes”, he said before kissing his lips. “That was –“ started James as Michael said “You are –“ at the same moment, and they chuckled, Michael keeping quiet to let James talk. “That was incredible, I’m speechless”, said James after a moment of looking into each other’s eyes, and they really didn’t need to say anything, everything was quite clear. Michael threw himself right next to James and surrounded his waist with his arm, telling him how he had felt during their orgasm, and the image he saw; James smiled all along and kept getting closer to Michael with each minute, finding a new way to caress him and to look at him in ways that made Michael shiver and his heart bubble with what he was sure experts called Love.

 

They fell asleep and James woke up to the warm feeling of Michael behind him, his strong arm surrounding him and making him feel like home, utterly sure this was what every single person would want to wake up to. He turned his head a bit to see if he was awake, and Michael’s eyes were closed but he whispered, “can I look for my surprise now?” with a sleepy voice, causing James to chuckle. “Mhm”, he whispered too, stretching his body and turning around to face Michael, kissing the tip of his nose. Michael smiled and kissed his lips, “okay, you tell me if I’m hot or cold”, he said, coming down from the bed lazily. James smiled and looked at Michael’s body as he stood up, blatantly checking him out, “you’re definitely hot”, he said, and Michael turned to look at him with a laugh, then winked at him before starting to move around the bedroom, waiting for James to tell him if he was close or not. They played this game for a bit, Michael enjoying James’ beautiful laughter whenever he’d get far from the hidden place and his excitement whenever he got close. “I’m in the kitchen!” said Michael loudly, and heard a perky, “warm!” coming from the bedroom. He chuckled and started opening the drawers, narrating what he was doing to James and knowing he was getting closer; he opened a drawer that he barely ever used and there it was; he laughed loudly before saying, “found it!” and heard a mischievous laugh from James, too. A Kamasutra book laid there innocently, the golden letters and one of the typical illustrations on the cover staring innocently at him. Michael took it and walked to the bedroom excitedly, entering to see a smiling James sitting on the bed, surrounded by covers and his hair tousled; it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Do you like it?”, he asked as Michael got back on the bed, who left the book next to him and took James’ face between his hands, kissing him as if he hadn’t seen him in a week, “I love it, I can’t wait to try it with you, all of it”, he said against his lips, causing James to chuckle into the kiss. He flexed and spread his legs, placing them outside of Michael’s legs, spread up wide and looking flushed as he turned the kiss into a more erotic one in a second, “well, then you shouldn’t wait” he whispered against Michael’s mouth, conscious of the way Michael’s eyes shifted to his own red-swollen lips and smiled devilishly before saying, “we definitely shouldn’t”.


End file.
